File for documents



y 18, 1954 w. R. M. DE WHALLEY 2,678,651

' FILE FOR DOCUMENTS Original Filed Oct. 15, 1947 I $565!! $50) Cooper EKECUTQIX,

Patented May 18, 1954 FILE FOR DOCUMENTS William Robert Murad De Whalley, deceased, late of London, England, by May Alice Cooper, executrix, South Croydon, England, assignor to Roneo Limited, London, England Original application October 15, 1947, Serial No.

779,967. Divided and this application November 16, 1951, Serial No. 263,796.

Britain March 17, 1939 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent Expires March 17, 1959 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to files for documents of the kind in which a series of folders are suspended verticaliy on behind another in a drawer cabinet or other receptacle by means of suspension members slidable upon rails or the like.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved means by which the folders may be suspended separately or ina continuous concertina arrangement, and the invention consists in a folder for suspended filing systems having each of its upper free edges so formed as directly to carry or support a bar, one of which forms a suspension member for the folder while the other is channeled or otherwise adapted to be hooked OVBI a 51151361151011 member Of an adjacent folder.

Further features of the invention will be apparent from the description given hereafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate several modes of carrying out the invention.

Figure l is a perspective view showing a number of files suspended in concertina form by means in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section of the upper edges of one form of file in accordance with the invention, and

Figure 3 is a side View of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 2 showing a further form of file.

In carrying my invention into effect in one convenient manner as shown in Figures 2 and 3 one upper free edge a of the folder is folded over and stapled or stitched to form a loop in which is fitted temporarily or permanently a metal strip 1) which projects beyond each side edge of the folder in order to constitute a suspension member by which the folder may be suspended upon the sides of the filing receptacle or upon side rails fitted therein as shown at c in Figure 1.

The other top edge of the folder is flanged as at d and is fitted temporarily or permanently with a folded metal channel, one part c of which engages the flange of the folder while the other 1 is spaced apart from the folder in order that the channel member may be hooked over the appropriate edge of an adjacent folder as shown by the dotted lines. The folded channel member in this form also projects beyond the edges of the folder so as to constitute the suspension member for the edge of the folder to which it is secured and in that case the channel members may be slotted or otherwise formed to engage the side rails or other parts from which the folder is suspended.

In a further modification of the invention shown in Figure 4 one top edge of the folder is In Great flanged and is fitted temporarily or permanently with a folded metal bar i adapted to engage the flange and projecting beyond each side edge of the folder and the other edge of the folder is fitted with a folded metal channel as described in connection with Figure 2.

It will be seen that with arrangements such as above described I provide ready means by which one folder may (when desired) be engaged with the next adjacent folder of a series by a simple movement transverse to the direction of the folder edges (that is, by a vertical movement when the folders are suspended with the edges horizontal and disposed one behind the other) and the arrangement has the very great advantage that not only may the engagement be effected with the folders in position in the files, but also the dropping of a number of papers or other relatively heavy weight into a folder will not cause any disengagement of folders from one another.

In any modification of the invention the channel member may be adapted to take a title or other mark identifying the contents of a folder and such may, when desired, be protected by a Celluloid or like protector wrapped round the channel. It will be understood that the invention extends broadly to any arrangement by which adjacent folders may be engaged with one another in the manner hereinbefore specified and is therefore not to be limited to the foregoing details of construction which may be modified to suit any requirements.

This application in a division of application No. 779,967, filed October 15, 1947, now abandoned.

I claim:

A vertical filing system comprising means constituting a plurality of pockets, each pocket having at least two side walls, a pair of supports for said pockets extending longitudinally of and beyond the side walls of such pockets, a first bar secured to one side wall of each pocket along its upper edge and being of such length as to extend beyond each end of said side wall, the portion of the bar extending beyond each end of the side wall cooperating with said supports to define a suspension means for said side wall, and a second bar for supporting the other side wall of each pocket along its upper edge and being of such length as to extend beyond each end of said other side wall, the portion of the bar extending beyond each end of the side wall cooperating with said supports to define a suspension but spaced from the top wall and in parallelism' to said vertical walls constituting a box-like housing having an entrance opening at-the lower end intermediate the inturned flange and the other vertical wall, the upper edge of the other side wall being bent over andengageable with the inturned flange of the vertical wall tosupport such other side wall, the other vertical wall of said second bar being hooked over a first bar of an adjacent side wall whereby the edge of such side wall is frictionally retained between said other vertical wall and the said inturned 4 flange, the box-like housing extending throughout substantially th length of said second bar to provide a continuous support between said bars intermediate the portions of said bars extending beyond the side walls of the pockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,253,629 Read Jan. 15, 1918 1,450,614 Shaft Apr. 3, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 290,461 Great Britain 1928 555,484 Germany 1932 201,018 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1939 526,470 Great Britain Sept. 18, 1940 

